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It's a dog's life in Sydney

Rachel Browne

I got is first...Grant Denyer with Bullet, one of 44 competitors at the World Dog games in Sydney. Photo: Danielle Smith

SYDNEY is regularly named as one of the most liveable cities in the world - for humans. For animals it's a different matter.

We don't want pets on public transport, in restaurants or shops. And tenants or people who live in flats face constant opposition to keeping Fido or Tiddles.

The Australian Companion Animal Council says Sydney is less pet-friendly than New York, London or Geneva, and it is campaigning for improved rights for pet owners, including making it easier to take animals on public transport and into shops and pushing for more pet-friendly accommodation.

Council president Kersti Seksel said: ''In Geneva dogs are accepted in many restaurants and can travel on public transport although their owners are required to buy them a half-price ticket.

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''Even in New York and London pets are able to join their owners in some stores, outdoor restaurants or pubs,'' Dr Seksel said.

Dogs NSW spokesman Peter Higgins said landlords could make extra revenue from tenants with pets. ''Research in Queensland has shown that a dog-friendly unit can add as much as $15,000 to its resale value. Not only that, but pet owners are usually happy to pay slightly more if they know their dog is allowed in their unit,'' he said.

Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world. Research analysts BIS Shrapnel found that 63 per cent of Australia's 6.6 million homes own some kind of pet. Dogs and cats are the most popular. Australians spend about $4.6 billion on their animals a year.

TV host and dog owner Grant Denyer said Sydney was a great city for pets, and owners needed to seek out canine-friendly spots.

Denyer, who will host the World Dog Games in Sydney from October 31 to November 1, called his dog, Fergus, a five-year-old border collie, his best friend.

A new mate, Bullet, a nine-year-old border collie cross and New Zealand champion, will be among 44 dogs competing at Acer Arena.

''It's quite spectacular,'' Denyer said of the games. ''It's the Olympics of the canine world.''